Justice of the Supreme Court, Richard Adjei-Frimpong, has attributed delays in Ghana’s judicial system to the limited number of courts, inadequate personnel and the nature of legal procedures, insisting that judges do not deliberately delay cases.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Justice Adjei-Frimpong said the growing number of cases before the courts, coupled with insufficient judicial infrastructure, contributes significantly to delays in the administration of justice.
“Legal processes in Ghana are often delayed because the country has too few courts, limited personnel and lengthy judicial procedures. It is never a deliberate attempt by anyone to delay a case,” he said.
According to him, increasing the number of courts and judges would help reduce the backlog of cases and speed up the delivery of justice.
“When the courts are not many, the issues become many, which could lead to delays. If you have more courts and more judges, the cases will be dealt with and that will reduce delays,” he explained.
Justice Adjei-Frimpong rejected suggestions that judges intentionally prolong court proceedings.
He noted that the volume of cases filed in the courts far exceeds the capacity of the existing judicial system.
“It is not the judges’ fault. We don’t even like it when cases delay,” he stated.
“The cases are many, but the courts are few,” he added.
The Supreme Court Justice further explained that some categories of cases naturally require more time because of the legal processes involved.
“There are cases like marriage or divorce that take time because before you declare a marriage null, it has to be established that the relationship has broken down beyond reconciliation,” he said.
He also pointed out that delays can sometimes be necessary to ensure fairness and justice.
“There are some litigations where delay is inherently good,” he noted.
Justice Adjei-Frimpong added that administrative processes, including the preparation and filing of court documents, also contribute to delays in some cases.
“Some too are delayed because of the paperwork. So it is not deliberate; there are several factors,” he said.
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